Driver fires a gun as rescuers enter his overturned SUV

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, March 3, 2004 | 9:35 a.m.

As Las Vegas firefighters crawled into an overturned sport utility vehicle Tuesday afternoon to rescue the driver, the man pulled out a handgun from under the dashboard and fired once in an apparent suicide attempt, firefighters and police said.

The bullet didn't hit the firefighters or the driver, who had rolled his vehicle about 4:40 p.m. near the intersection of Paratore Way and West Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

"But it shook the guys up pretty good. That thing looked like a cannon," Szymanski said of the man's .45-caliber automatic pistol.

Officer Jose Montoya, Metro Police spokesman, said the man "tried to shoot himself. He never aimed the firearm at the paramedics."

Police found what they believe to be steroids inside the vehicle, Lt. Brett Zimmerman said.

Police would not release the name of the man Wednesday morning. He is still hospitalized with non-life threatening head injuries and may face charges when he is released, Montoya said.

According to a statement from Szymanski, the two firefighters entered the vehicle and heard a bang, which they first thought was the airbag going off. But they soon realized the man had a gun in his hand and had just fired it.

Szymanski said the firefighters wrestled the gun from the man's hand and threw it to a Metro officer outside the vehicle.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident, he said.